SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY – WILL & ESTATE: WILLIAM NELSON, 1785 Contributed by: Von Mings Stachon ******************************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ******************************************************************************** Will: William Nelson, Spotsylvania Co, VA (1785) IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN, I William Nelson of the County of Spotsylvania being sick and weak but of perfect mind sence, do make and ordain this my last will and testament and what worldly estate it hath been pleased God to endow me with, I do dispose of in the following manner: I do lend my beloved wife all my estate, real and personal, during her natural life or widowhood & if she shall be disposed to marry, my desire is that she shall have one third part of the same. Further, it is my desire that all my children are under age from the age of my son William and under shall have one horse when coming of age, to be raised out of the said estate & when married, my desire is that they and each of them shall have one feather bed & furniture and one cow & calf to be raised out of said estate. My desire is that the land I bought of my brother Benjamin in Doneva? County shall be acknowledged so my son James, provided he shall built his mother a good snug house & tilling her fire? on it her life making use of such a part of the land as she shall like. My will and desire is that after the decease of my beloved wife, is that all the rest of my estate, real and personal, shall be equally devided amongst the whole of my children to them & their heirs forever. I do further desire that my two youngest sons: Haydon & Nugent shall be properly educated out of my said estate. I do hereby appoint my two sons John & James Executors & Administrators of this my Last Will and Testament. IN WITNESS of the same I have hereunto set my hand & seal the twentyfifth day of June one thousand seven hundred & eighty one.                                                        William Nelson (seal) Signed, sealed & delivered in presence of: Sam Gale Joseph Olsen Source: Library of Virginia, Spotsylvania Co, VA Will Book E 1772-1798 Reel 28, page: 471-472 Note: Spelling errors have not been corrected.  Some punctuation and paragraphing have been added for ease in reading. ***************************** Estate: William Nelson, Spotsylvania Co, VA (1785) (partial) KNOW ALL MEN by these presents that we, John Nelson, James Nelson, Francis Coaleman & John White are to be and hereafter bound unto Joseph Mack, William Smith, Exum Grandor? and Samuel Towles, gentlemen justices of the court of Spotsylvania, now sitting, in the sum of three thousand pounds current money to the payment whereof will and truly to be made to the justices, their successors will bind ourselves each of us, our and each of our heirs, Executors, & Administrators jointly and severally firmly by these presents. Sealed with our seals and dated this 18th day of July one thousand seven hundred eighty five in the seventh year of the Commonwealth. THE CONDITION of the obligation is such that if the above bound John Nelson & James Nelson, Executors of the Last Will and Testament of William Nelson, deceased, do make a true and perfect inventory of all and singular the goods, chattles and credits of the said deceased which have or shall come to the hands, possession or know .....(end of page)                                                         Teste. Source: Library of Virginia, Spotsylvania Co, VA Will Book E 1772-1798 Reel 28, page: 472 Note: Spelling errors have not been corrected. Some punctuation added.